


Brotherhood

by FatedFantasy



Category: FFXV - Fandom, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Brotherhood, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2018-10-18 00:19:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10605360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FatedFantasy/pseuds/FatedFantasy
Summary: "I have so much of you in my heart." - John KeatsBrotherhood is facing uncertainty a thousand times and choosing to love unconditionally, over and over, even when the universe is ending. It is something unlike anything before.It is them before you.Noctis and his friends have come to the end of their journey. Each of them carry a myriad memories and dreams, and so it is now they cherish, for a final time, the night they have learned to love.





	1. Good Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is my first fic in many years and I hope you enjoy it. ☺️

_"Ignis, can you..." the King (no, his brother Noctis) began to ask his advisor._  
_A pregnant hesitation hung in the air for a moment before Noctis summoned the courage to ask Ignis..._  
_"Can you sense light?"_  
_"To a degree yes," Ignus replied._  
_"So when dawn breaks, you’ll know it."_  
_"I should."_  
_"Good to know."_

Back then, when Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus stood where King Regis had bided them safe tidings, Noctis was the Prince. He always wanted to be anything but that; in essence, he wanted to be normal and so his father had let him be that by sending him on the roadtrip. The Prince did not go alone, however, for he had the greatest three friends who would become, as Prompto once said, _his ride and dies_.

And now they were here, ten years later. Who knew that it would be like this, that Noctis would be brought forth as a sacrifice to restore the light? His father knew, but he had, in return, allowed for Noctis to flourish alongside his friends and lived the way he wanted, even if it was for a brief time in this world. Their fates, once intertwined, began to unravel before these very steps. They had started their journey here, and it was now that they were welcomed back by the crumbling buildings and memories that lingered among the broken streets. The darkness enveloped them like Leviathan’s waves. His three friends stayed at the base of the steps, awaiting the final command from their King. Ignis finally understood the burden of life that had been bestowed to Noctis and the destiny the King could not escape from, and so it was in this moment that all of their duties had been fulfilled.

They had brought Noctis home.

Noctis turned around to face them, and Ignis knew that the King was already halfway gone.  
The King had accepted that the night was at an end, and so the dawn began to lap at the edges of the eventide...

A feeling, which Noctis had been suppressing for a long while, now broke free and arose in a new light. He felt himself holding back tears and he gazed into his friends’ eyes. Noctis nodded once; it was a very calculated gesture and he knew he'd end up crying, but he would not in front of them, for the sake of them.

"Prompto, Ignis, Gladio.”

Noctis savoured their names on his tongue; the sounds of their names were sweeter and more brilliant than anything he tasted before.

They remained silent, but continued to hold his gaze, unfaltering and brave. Their eyes glistened ever so slightly that a passerby would have not noticed, but he was Noctis, and so he saw them catch the dying luminance of the city lights.

Noctis knew that they had fulfilled their promise of remaining by his side until he had reclaimed the throne. They had been there - they were more than his Shield, advisor, and classmate. Cid was right, after all - they were his brothers. There were a myriad hopes, dreams, and desperate desires he had wanted to share with them - all those times together, all those laughs, the way Prompto’s eyes shone like the stars when he talked with him, the way Gladio protected him, the campfire meals with Ignis... oh how he wanted to tell them everything...  
... but he had chosen to say nothing during all those times.  
Until now.

  
He could not wait any longer. Whatever happened after, he would lay his spirit bare before them. King Noctis Lucis Caelum, at the end of all of it, was just a human, and now it was his time to go home.

No combination of words could have carried his thankfulness to them - his honesty, and his hopes - so, in this moment, he cherished, for a final time in this life, Gladiolus Amicitia, Prompto Argentum, and Ignis Scientia. With head held high and his gaze still locked with theirs, he whispered to them the parting words that encompassed and held his world upon shoulders as strong as Titan's.

"Walk tall, my friends."


	2. Impulse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio remembers all of the times he's doubted, not only himself, but Noctis.  
> It hurts like a shockwave and its impulses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2, featuring Gladio and his memories with Noctis. I really hope that all of you will like this. :)

They had been there with their King, when they were little more than children, right here at the steps of the throne, and now they were back. Noctis had finally reclaimed it. He sat upon the throne and he had made his peace. He looked as if he was sleeping, as if he had finally found a cure for Insomnia.

 _Yes, just sleeping_ , Gladio thought, but he could not lift his gaze from Noctis's wound.

The sword of King Regis had impaled Noctis through the chest. It was over. These final hours of night, of Noctis, had been a revelation, and as he died, Eos was born anew as light would wash over the lands again.

Without a word, Gladio knelt before His Majesty, and reached for the hilt of the sword. He grasped it and gently pulled it out of Noctis, then placed the sword gently on the ground.

Prompto and Ignis watched, not stopping Gladio as he embraced Noctis in his arms. Gladio cradled him, whispering a quiet “thank you.” He murmured something else as he brushed back Noctis’s hair, but the others did not catch those words.

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

 _Gladio’s father, Clarus, once told him that being a Shield was the greatest honour and privilege to happen upon the House of Amicitia. When Gladio first met Noctis, the Shield-to-be expected royalty, not an asshole of a child, to_ _be the future heir of Lucis. Disappointed would have been an understatement; fury seethed through Gladio. Being a Shield was something he was supposed to take pride in? Get a load of this shit._

_“Look, I didn't sign up to be the Prince,” Noctis yelled. A lousy, small excuse of a Prince, he was not worthy to reign over his kingdom - not now, not ever._

_He wasn't fit to be a ruler. Why was it Gladio’s duty to be the Shield to someone who wasn't willing to take responsibility for even his own wellbeing? Gladio never felt more distance from someone than with his Prince._

_“No one chooses how they're born,” Gladio barked back, “but you can choose what you make of it.”_

 

_The first time felt something for the Prince, his sister Iris had gone missing. Of course Noctis would disappear too. He was nothing but trouble._

_Gladio took it as his duty to search for his sibling and that rascal (he’d do the reprimanding himself). When he found the Prince with Iris, she was almost on the verge of tears. Gladio hated him then._

_“What is going?” King Regis had asked._

_“I got -” Iris started, but Noctis finished it for her._

_“I led her out into the gardens on my own. I'm sorry.”_

_“Sorry? You could have gotten Iris killed!” Gladio had to force himself not to scream at Noctis._

_It was almost too much._

_However, too much was never enough._

 

_Iris later told Gladio that it was she who had wandered in search of a cat. It was she who fell down a slope and it was Noctis who had found her. He’d help her get back to the lobby where King Regis and Gladio had been_

_f_ _rantically assembling a patrol._

_“That was a fluke,” Gladio had told Iris. “In no way does that excuse his reckless behaviour.”_

_“But, Brother, it was my fault,” she replied. “Prince Noctis is a hero.”_

_Gladio didn't believe that, but inside, he felt something stir - it was something warm, as if someone had kindled the hearthfire in his heart._

_It was relief._

 

_The next day, Gladio offered to take Noctis, who was being grounded, out for combat training._

_Noctis didn't bother blocking Gladio’s sword and he fell down on the floor._

_Gladio sat next to him and perched his sword across his crisscrossed legs._

_He felt that warm feeling rise once more - maybe the Prince wasn't so bad after all._

_But Gladio didn't let his guard down, and instead offered gruffly: “Thank you, Prince Noctis.”_

_The Prince didn't say anything; he chose to stay silent._

 

_Gladio had been hesitant to swear in as a Shield, but his father once again insisted that, in time, Noctis would prove himself worthy._

_“Being Shield isn't simply a duty,” his father had said._

_“What is it?” Gladio asked, to which his father replied, “My son, it's a choice. It's standing by the line of Lucis, not as a guard, but as a brother, and never faltering.”_

 

_A few years later, as Gladio trained his Prince, the ice between them began to thaw._

_Noctis had been captured by some fucking Niffs and rumours of his torture were circulating in the Citadel._

_Gladio had failed him. He had run ahead to check on the checkpoint and left Noctis scrambling behind, unaware that they were being surrounded by troops. Gladio had felt someone push him, and he turned around to see Noctis_

_being dragged away by those hellish soldiers._

_Oddly enough, the look on the Prince’s face was relief. Gladio didn't know that Noctis had pushed him, and by doing so, put himself in harm’s way._

 

_They infiltrated the Niflheim base and brought back Noctis (or the shell of him). He was so badly battered that Gladio almost revulsed in shame, but he held on to his Prince._

_How could he be the Shield? Gladio was truly pathetic._

 

_A few months later, they were infiltrating a base. This time, Gladio felt someone press against him, and he could feel the telltale tip of a sword grace his back. He turned around and saw Noctis hanging against a long katana, and all Gladio could do was watch him be flung to the ground._

_Gladio ran towards Noctis, but the Prince had already began to summon his weapons. He conjured a great-sword up and as he swung it, the edge caught a few soldiers in its vicinity. It was as if Gladio was watching himself fight; the Prince had been under great combat tutelage._

_When it was over, Gladio picked up Noctis and held him in his arms._

_“You… better watch yourself, big guy,” Noctis managed to say as he grit his teeth._

_“I’m sorry,” Gladio said, but those words fell flat._

_“Hey, bro, shut up,” Noctis replied, and both of them laughed softly as Gladio swept the hair away from the Prince’s face._

 

_How could Gladiolus Amicitia be a Shield?_

_He couldn't even protect himself - he couldn’t bear the name of Amicitia with pride anymore._

_Over the years, Gladio caught himself gazing at the Prince. What was life but a progression of choices?_

_Gladio had hesitated to ask Clarus, his own father, the daunting questions about Noctis, but the fires had burned so deeply now that they threatened to ignite the cinders of his curiosity._

 

_The exchange had gone as such:_

_“Hey, father?” Gladio had began._

_“Yes, Gladio?” his father replied._

_“Does he know?”_

_“Know what?”_

_“That…”_

_“How do_ you _know?”_

_There was a pause, then: “I can sense it.”_

_“So it has been decreed and so it must be, my dear son. Are you alright?”_

_Clarus looked at his son for a moment too long and caught something glistening in Gladio’s eye._

_Gladio turned away._

_“He has ten more years” was the answer Gladio didn’t want to accept. He had wanted to hear that “Noctis lives” - that was, sadly, in another universe. In this one, the night would end too soon._

_“There must be something I can change about this!”_

_“No, as a Shield, our duty is to protect the royalty and live the life they would like.”_

_“So you’re telling me that, you’re going to let him die?”_

_“There is nothing we can do. What we can do, however, is choose to stand by them. For you, Noctis is lucky to have a Shield such as you.”_

_Another pregnant hesitating hung heavily in the air; it lingered like campfire smoke._

_“Do you love Regis, Dad?”_

_“Always, you know that. And do you love Noctis?”_

_“I guess…”_

_“Love is a choice, Gladio, it’s -”_

_A small but strong voice joined in. It was the most beautiful one Gladio had ever heard._

_An impulse stirred in Gladio - it was a bittersweet warmth that filled him._

_From that moment on, Gladio had sworn to himself that he would always be there for his Prince._

_"No one chooses how they’re born or their fate, but we can choose who we love, and I will always choose you, Gladio.”_

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

This is what Gladio had told Noctis as he held the King and the weight of an old world (which wasn’t very heavy, Noctis was small and fragile).

"You were always something else, and I’m glad I had you from beginning to end.”

When Gladio gently let go of Noctis, he whispered:

“Goodnight, Noctis.”

Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto made their way out of the Citadel in silence.

 

 Insomnia was once a place they had called home, but Gladio realized, at long last, that home was not a place.

It was a person.


	3. Sagefire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis remembers his promise to the King.  
> Even after all this time, he continues to love his friend Noctis dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, totally been busy with everything, but here's the next bit featuring Ignis and his fond (and not so fond) memories of Noctis.
> 
> Here it is :)

So they set up camp near Hammerhead, at the first haven that marked the beginning of their journey. Out of habit, each took to their own duties, occasionally assisting each other with the pegs of the tent or unfolding the chairs.

They finished, and sat down on the chairs, not realizing that they had put out all four. They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Gladio was the first one to head into the tent, followed by Prompto, and then Ignis.

And they closed their eyes, but instead of sleep, insomnia greeted them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ignis couldn’t see much anymore, but he was the first to rise. He felt something warm blanket his face, then his body, and knew that the night was gone as he exited the tent.

His King wouldn’t be able to see the light he had brought forth.

His King was gone too.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 _There was a difference betwixt bravery and foolishness, Ignis had once said. Bravery is holding your head up high and carrying on with those who fight, and, well, foolishness is frankly, for a lack of a better word,_ love _in its purest, blindest form._

_Right now, Ignis was a fool for Noctis._

_The advisor felt pity floating around the Prince’s apartment. Here and there were reminders that Noctis had a duty to fulfill, but the whole place was a mess. Ignis felt annoyance surge within him, but he wouldn't dare let Noctis know._

_Honestly, Ignis wanted was for him to be happy._

 

 _Outside of the Citadel’s training room, Gladio leaned against a pillar. Sweat gleamed on his forehead and he wiped_ _it away with his towel. He sighed. Noctis wasn't trying anymore - then again, when was he ever? - and that tore right through to Gladio’s core. Noctis still bore the scars of his injuries - his slight limp impeded him from training too hard, but that was no excuse to put in zero effort._

_Ignis came from around the corner, wearing sweatpants and a tank top. Gladio waved, which prompted Ignis to come over._

_“Hey Igs,” Gladio greeted._

_Ignis simply nodded, preoccupied by the thoughts of what he'd cook up for Noctis tonight. Maybe he'd make some sweets. What was that sweet fruit again? The one that hailed from Tenebrae or Altissia?_

_“Noct’s been slacking off with his training,” Gladio said._

_“Oh, is that so?” Ignis replied._

_“Yea, he better be hauling ass soon or he won't be fit to be the future King.”_

_“It's just a matter of time,” Ignis responded._

_“Honestly, he’s skipped school too.”_

_That brought Ignis to full attention. Noctis had been doing well in his studies; in fact, he was the top in his class._

_“He didn't tell me that.”_

_“Of course he wouldn't. He knows you'd beat the living shit outta him.”_

_A pause lingered in the air like the smoke from burning Tenabrean oak._

_“Gladio, you think we've been too hard on him?”_

_“No, it's his duty. There's no room for doubt.”_

_“But…” Ignis hesitated, but continued on. “We talked about his father, and I… I told him.”_

_Gladio wrung the towel around his shoulders and sighed._

_“I didn't sign up for this shit, Ignis."_

_“None of us did, Gladio, but right now, our duty is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our Prince. Maybe he does need a little time off. It won't sit well if he keeps bottling everything inside. Noct’s volatile.”_

 

_In his apartment, Noctis sat on the couch. He had another nightmare. In it, he had watched helpless as Ignis was swept away by a colossal deity. Noctis heard himself screaming - he felt detached from his own body, but managed to close his eyes. When he opened them, Magitek troops had surrounded Ignis. The city around them was crumbling, and Noctis would never forget the way Ignis was shot, again and again. Noctis tried to reach him, but a barrier had been cast between him and his advisor. When it was over, Ignis was still standing, despite his grievous injuries (the left side of his face was raw and ragged, streaming blood), as the bodies of the soldiers lay strewn around him._

_“Ignis?” His name felt heavy on Noctis’s lips._

_Ignis tried to reply, but he had no voice._

_Noctis gently reached out to his advisor, but elicited no response._

_Ignis continued to stare beyond Noctis._

_Noctis looked down at his hands and saw them drenched in blood._

_Finally, Ignis had opened his mouth, had uttered something, and Noctis felt coldness grip his heart._

_Although he had never been there, Noctis loathed Altissia then._

 

_Noctis woke up in a cold sweat as tears slowly cascaded down his sunken cheeks. Ignis brought a blanket over and wrapped it around the Prince. He’d always had nightmares and Ignis had done this and simply left. This time was different. He sat down and wrapped his arms around Noctis._

_“Another one?” he asked softly._

_Noctis nodded, shivering._

_“Must have been bad, huh?”_

_“You said you couldn't see me anymore,” he said quietly._

_“I'm here and I can see you,” Ignis consoled him, but Noctis barely heard his words._

_When Noctis did not reply, Ignis offered: "Oh, come now, Your Highness, it was a nightmare.”_

_“It could happen. I can't bear to lose you too.”_

_Ignis remained silent._

_“Ignis, I’m scared.”_

_The tables, at last, had been turned. Noctis was very much simply a Crown Citizen. He wanted to be like everyone else: to lead an ordinary life._

_And that was it: Ignis swore, from that moment on, he would try to give that chance to Noctis. It was the least he could do._

_“I’m here,” Ignis repeated gently. “You’re not alone.”_

_Noctis tightened his grip on him._

_“What if I try to fly and no matter what I do, I fall?”_

_Ignis stroked the Prince’s hair and pulled him in closer._

_He smiled and caressed the Prince’s face with his delicate fingers._

_“Noctis, you aren't Icarus. Take flight, and even if you fall, I’ll catch you.”_

 

_Ulwaat berries! Ignis exclaimed in his thoughts as he snapped his fingers._ _That was the missing ingredient._

_The following day, when the sun began to set, Noctis came home to the smell of sweet fruits; perhaps his kitchen had been transformed into a small bakery. He placed his bag down at the door and went to see Ignis._

_“Hey, Noct,” Ignis greeted him. “Give this a taste.”_

_Noctis saw some tarts with cream and fruits on the table. He grabbed one and took a bite. If anything, it tasted of memories._

_It tasted like home._

_“So how’s it?” Ignis asked, his gaze trained on Noctis._

_“Not bad, Specs,” Noctis replied between mouthfuls._

_Ignis sighed. “I'm assuming it meets your standards?”_

_“Yea, close enough.”_

_Noctis continued to eat until all of the tarts were gone. He went to the coffee machine and poured some into a cup._

_“Thought you don't like Ebony, Noct,” Ignis said in a tone that bordered between amusement and puzzlement._

_“I'm taking after you,” Noctis joked, “plus it really goes with the taste of your tarts.”_

_Ignis offered a grin. Noctis accepted it with a return of a smile._

_“Oh, Ignis?”_

_“Yes?”_

_Noctis looked at Ignis for so brief a moment that the advisor almost missed his gaze._

_“Thanks.”_

_That was the first time Ignis had heard Noctis say that to him, and it would certainly not be the last._

_It made Ignis’s heart soar._

_  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

The King’s advisor stood at the edge of the haven as the sun rose.

 “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Dawn was a time full of wonders. It was, as Noctis had said, worth waking up to marvel at.

Prompto and Gladio rose too and joined Ignis, but did not hear the words he had uttered after.

“Guess you can say it finally dawned on me, Noct. I never lost sight of you.”

Ignis turned his head slightly, and through what vision he had remaining, swore that he saw something in the brightening sky. Where it was still dark, where the galaxies of night and day met at long last, he saw a single star shimmer in the horizon beyond, and beside it, the faint trace of the moon lingered.

He could, after all, see the dawn to some degree.

 


End file.
